The sun never sets in America

Chapter 338 Zhou-class battleships and progress

At the Jinshan Shipyard, the launching ceremony of the first Zhou-class ironclad ship is underway.

boom! !

When the champagne was poured on the bow of the ship, there was a roar of "applause" and warm applause.

On the slipway in front of the ship, Navy Minister Lu Mushan stood in front of the loudspeaker in a blue and white naval officer's uniform and spoke loudly.

From time to time, the audience burst into cooperative applause. In the end, the speech, which was neither too long nor too "stinky", ended with the sentence "Naval Power".

The "pig's trotter" of this speech, Zhou Wenwang, also appeared in the newspapers the next day.

Jinshan Daily directly printed the eye-catching headline "The Strongest in the World".

As for the specific data, there is nothing except a displacement of 8,000 tons. As for the seaworthiness data and naval gun data that the spies are most concerned about, there is no data at all, or in other words, it is not allowed to appear in newspapers at all.

"I think it should be at least a 280mm gun, otherwise it wouldn't be able to support such a huge warship."

"What two hundred and eighty, at least three hundred millimeters!!"

"Impossible, the Han people are cautious, they will not use naval guns -"

In a quiet room, several American spies were discussing the Zhou-class ironclads in the newspaper. They were constantly arguing about the data of the ironclads. The most important thing among them was the naval gun data.

There is constant debate between 280 mm and 305 mm. The reason for this is because the current American Apollo-class ironclad ships use 280 mm naval guns.

It has a longer range and is more powerful than the 240mm range of the Han Nuwa class.

But this does not mean that Apollo is really more advanced than Nuwa. In fact, according to the US Navy's own internal intelligence, Han warships are one level higher than US warships in terms of seaworthiness and power.

This cannot be solved by simply increasing the gun caliber of a certain level of warships. This requires a lot of time to accumulate research data and requires the United States to reach the same level in the field of steam power.

But unfortunately, there is currently only one country in the world that can keep pace with, or even surpass, in power technology, and that is the British Empire, which is currently "far ahead".

In addition, I dare to say something about the steam industry in Han Dynasty:

"Who else??"

As for American steam technology, it is only in the second echelon in the world. It will be a long time before it can reach the first echelon like Chinese and English.

This is also the reason why the U.S. Navy hopes that the United Kingdom will provide power equipment. In fact, given the current power gap between the two countries, if the difference is only a few nautical miles, it will be a very dangerous thing for a high-speed naval battle, and may even lead to defeat. , this alone makes the U.S. Navy "feeling scared" and must get support from the United Kingdom no matter what.

The British attitude towards this is very ambiguous, and even stated that this is a British "national secret".

They said it was a secret, but in fact, facing the pursuit of the Americans, the British secretly expressed that they "wanted more money."

In the end, this secret deal ended with the Americans making concessions in the Caribbean.

But although the deal ended, it was a huge harm to the relationship between Britain and China. There were many explanations for the Three Emperors Alliance in later generations, but the naval cooperation between Britain and the United States was the most talked about.

Even in the eyes of some diodes, this is the "fuse".

It was also under such circumstances that the Zhou-class ironclads were born. As the second-class ironclads of the Han Dynasty after the Nuwa class, the Zhou-class ironclads had a huge mission from the beginning of their design.

Even within the Han Navy, the Zhou-class ironclads had a code name of "battleship".

The battleship was originally the main battleship responsible for decisive battles in the age of sail. It was just a code name at the beginning. It can even be said that a two thousand ton battleship can be called a battleship, and a five thousand ton one is also a battleship, depending on the actual situation on the battlefield.

But within the Han Navy, only battleships with more than 7,000 tons can be called battleships, and the rest are called cruisers, or "ironclad ships."

As the first-class battleship of the Han Dynasty, the Zhou-class ironclad ship received the most attention.

Even at the time, it was even planned to equip it with a 350mm rotating front-loading naval gun that was still under experimentation.

But in the end, I gave up because of "stability" and chose 305, which had been experimenting for several years and accumulated no less than tens of thousands of experiences.

In addition, only the British were using 305mm naval guns at the time, and they were not too mature yet, so the 305mm became the main gun of the Zhou-class battleships.

The entire Zhou-class battleship has a total of six 305mm front-mounted rotating guns, and nine 150mm secondary guns. Even the close-in defense guns are two 75mm guns, which can be described as " Full of martial virtue."

In the words of Lin Wang, the designer of the Zhou-class battleship:

"This is an epoch-making warship, whether it is speed, firepower, or even protection capabilities. It is world-class. It is a true war machine, born for war."

The entire Zhou-class battleship has an empty weight of 8,000 tons and a fully loaded displacement of 8,700 tons.

As for the so-called eight thousand tons, it is just a lie. After all, who stipulates that I cannot say empty weight.
-

"Turn left!!"

buzz-

In the power cabin, there is no difference between a hot sauna and a sauna. All sailors in the power group have "fruit faces". With a little movement, the water came out.

On the sea above the cabin, the huge warship was like an ancient beast, constantly turning over in the waves.

Even because it was so big, it was difficult for the waves to hit the deck. They could only touch the hull, but they soon scratched the smooth hull.

"fire!!"

Following the order to fire, the six main artillery pieces on the entire deck began to rotate. Because they were too big, they kept making "squeaking" sounds.

It makes people’s scalp numb! !

Boom boom! !

Boom boom! !

Six 300.5mm cannons fired at the same time, setting off water jets like water dragons on the sea a few miles away, like long blue sticks, appearing and disappearing quickly.

The commander on the ship looked at the waves in the telescope and said nothing, nor did he call for stop. He just looked at the "gunfire" in the telescope indifferently.

It was not until the fifteenth round that the order for a restricted artillery attack was issued.

"Crack!!"

The entire Zhou Wenwang had a total of seventeen artillery pieces. Except for the two close-in defense guns, they basically participated in the massacre of innocent "marine life".

When the massacre ended, the entire sea was filled with blood and floating corpses of fish and shrimp, which soon attracted a group of bloodthirsty sharks.

But not long after eating, a "fireball" fell from the sky and turned them into braised shark fins.

But on the sea, the "giant beast" was still not satisfied, and kept venting its "fire" on the poor animal carcasses. It didn't stop until everything disappeared.

When everything was over, the commander issued the "high-speed sailing" order again.

In the power room, the sailors were sweating like rain, and the coal shovelers were like tomatoes that had been exploded, constantly spraying "blood".

When the huge Zhou-class battleship sailed at a high speed of twenty nautical miles, the observation ship following behind even failed to follow it once and was almost thrown away.

In the words of the captain of the ship later:

"At that moment, I seemed to see a Tyrannosaurus rex!!"

(Han Chinese archeology is extremely persistent because of its poor historical relics. Compared with its foreign colleagues who study human history, because of the weak history of America, it can only study ancient history. Among them, dinosaurs were created by Han archaeologists. The largest fossil is the skeletal fossil of Tyrannosaurus rex found in New Mexico, that is, in the Ganzhou area. After restoration, it is now in the Xijing Museum and is a treasure of the museum)

After this experiment is completed, Zhouwen will conduct experiments for up to two months to ensure its stability.

On the vast Pacific Ocean, the huge battleship King Wen of Zhou is like a hill, overlooking the entire ocean.

The marine creatures swimming under it were shocked by its size, and even more frightened.

But they soon discovered that this big guy was more kind than everyone thought, but this kindness was always interrupted by "sneeze".

Every sneeze is a carnival for those sharks and also their nightmare! !

.............................................

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!!"

"It is impossible for the Han people to build such an advanced warship. According to our estimates, they will not be able to build it until next year at the latest. How could it be like this..."

"I don't believe they solved the 305mm problem. You know, according to our calculations, the higher you go, the stronger the rotation of the naval gun, and the Han people also used so many secondary guns, which means they The pressure on the motivation will be great.”

"With the current technology, except for the British, I don't believe that the Han people can do it!!"

Ronnie, the designer of Apollo, looked at the secret information in his hand and almost went crazy. He spent an unknown amount of time to solve the 305mm rotation problem and the power problem. In the end, the British provided the power. , to solve these "natural chasms", but as for those Han people, they just created them without doing anything! !

This made Ronnie feel like he had finally taken the lead with the help of the class bully, but before he was happy for a long time, he was caught up by his classmates.

What's even more frightening is the number of secondary guns in Han Dynasty. In order to install 305mm cannons on the USS Washington under construction, they cut off one-third of the secondary guns to achieve this balance.

But now, the Han people not only did not reduce it, but also added one. This was something that Ronnie never expected, and even the entire New York Shipyard did not expect. But looking at the information in front of him, it doesn't look like it's fake. After all, this is an "informant" who spent a lot of money to dig up.

In the end Ronnie could only accept this fate.

But accepting does not mean accepting one's fate. Soon, a Franklin-class warship project was approved within the New York Shipyard, directly reducing the number of Washington-class ships still under construction from eight at the beginning to three, directly cutting it by more than half.

The Franklin class was also hailed by Ronnie as a battleship that surpassed all others. Its full displacement even slightly exceeded the "Old Man Star" that the British still had on paper.

The entire Franklin class will take more than "two and a half years". It is the most resource-resourced warship in the history of the United States and is a true "symbol" of America.

…………

A small conference room was filled with smoke. Everyone present was wearing brown work clothes. They looked no different from ordinary shipyard workers, but judging from their dress and shiny oily heads, they looked like ordinary workers. Boaters make a huge difference.

Wu He, the deputy director of Jinshan Shipyard, was smoking, and his whole body was surrounded by smoke.

"I asked, should this new ship be modified on the Zhou-class battleship?"

"I think it will be enough to increase it to 10,000 tons, add a few more main guns, and add more protection. After all, this is the insurance for us!!"

Listening to what Deputy Wu said, some people agreed, while others naturally objected.

“I don’t think that’s okay!!”

"According to the latest information, there are currently at least twenty main armored ships under construction in European shipyards. If we still have the intention of conquering the world with Zhou-class battleships, we will definitely be the ones who suffer in the end."

"You know, if you lose on the battlefield, it will be too late for the shipyard to rebuild."

As the designer of Zhou-class battleships, Luo Hongtao is the most opposed to the idea of ​​"resting on one's merits" and waiting to die.

In his opinion, although King Wen of Zhou had just entered the water less than a month ago, he had already become a thing of the past. Since it was a thing of the past, it was just a thing of the past.

As a warship designer and a "patriot", he would not allow the Han Navy to lag behind any country, even the most powerful British Navy.

This is his responsibility, as a designer! !

The people around listened to Luo Hongtao's words and said nothing. After all, they also understood the principle of "if you don't advance, you will retreat."

But the problem is that the price of entry is too high.

Outsiders don't understand, but they themselves understand too well the hardships in the entire development process of Zhou-class battleships.

It can be said that they have encountered all the problems that Americans have encountered, and in the end they have only one way to solve them, and that is "fighting to death."

Yes, sometimes scientific research not only involves the "inspiration" of a sudden inspiration, but also the "pain" of hard work.

They relied on the joint research and development of dozens of companies in the Han Dynasty to create this Zhou-class battleship.

The Zhou-class battleship is undoubtedly a shining star in their lives.

Everyone present has benefited from the birth of the Zhou-class battleship. If nothing else, just look at the factory director who has been brought up.

But the next step for the Zhou-class battleship is also difficult. No one can predict where the so-called "advanced" comes from.

The unknown is the scariest thing, and enlarging it to the same proportion as the Zhou-class battleships and making "fine adjustments" is actually the decision that is in the best interest of everyone at the moment.

And this is also the norm in the entire shipbuilding industry, or the warship industry.

Using mature technology and finally changing the details, we finally came up with a new battleship and a new code name.

In later generations, this is what technology companies are best at squeezing out toothpaste. In this era, it is called "progress."

(A certain fruit liked it)

Throughout the afternoon, discussions in this conference room centered on "progress" and "leapfrog".

Progressives basically have one reason, which is "cost" and "time."

Developing a brand-new battleship is too time-consuming and the cost is difficult to control. If it continues to be developed, it will basically be a new Zhou-class battleship.

You must know that the entire Zhou-class battleship cost more than 15 million yuan in research and development. It was the most expensive ship in the history of Han Dynasty shipbuilding, so much so that when the navy finally purchased it, it was painful.

After all, R&D expenses have to be factored in.

If a new ship is developed, it goes without saying that it will be another "silver ship". Even with today's rapid growth in military expenditures, it may not be able to attract the navy to pay for it.

(Because the price is too expensive, Zhou-class battleships are also nicknamed silver ships, which means battleships with the same price as silver)

And it will waste a lot of time. Now the smoke of war is getting closer and closer, and the situation in Europe is becoming more and more unstable. Who can guarantee that a war will not break out in the next moment.

If a war breaks out, what's the use of a battleship still on the slipway? Could it be possible to imitate the British in playing "newspaper battleship"?

(Mocking the so-called 10,000-ton ship built by the British, it is a propaganda poster)

The Leapfrog faction believes that "time is not waiting for me." If we want to completely overwhelm our opponents in future wars, especially in the American wars, we must use one hundred and fifty percent of our spirit to face these difficulties.

Use a "sky ship" to repay the emperor's favor! !

In the end, neither party could convince the other, and the lawsuit went to the Admiralty.

.........

"Lao Hu, when did you come here, you are still playing with your building blocks!!"

"What time is it now, my ass is on fire!!"

Lu Mushan held the tea cup and looked at Hu Fusheng from the Equipment Department. He looked like a fish that had just been caught from the sea, jumping up and down.

Hu Fusheng continued to build the warship building blocks. Lu Mushan had no choice but to watch aside and wait for him to finish the puzzle.

"Crack!!"

When the last flag was inserted, Hu Fusheng showed a satisfied smile, and then smiled and said to Lu Mushan beside him:

"Shuai Lu doesn't understand the secrets of our equipment department. Are these people really bringing this lawsuit against you for the sake of progress and leaps forward? That's bullshit. They're just doing it for money!!"

"money??"

Lu Mushan didn't understand what Hu Fusheng said.

Hu Fusheng smiled and pointed at the battleship building blocks and said, "Look, does this battleship look like King Wen of Zhou?"

Lu Mushan nodded.

"But a new generation replaces the old, and the same goes for this Navy."

"Some people want to change and some don't want to. They want to change their skin and get away with it. What do you think?"

"Change, must change!!"

After Lu Mushan heard what he just said, he already understood what Hu Fusheng meant and answered with a serious face.

Hu Fusheng smiled and said:

“You don’t believe it, even after I gave you the money, they still cursed a few times!!”

Lu Mushan also smiled and replied:

"It's my Navy tradition to scold those who spend money!"

A few days later, an initial R&D payment of 7 million was credited to Jinshan Shipbuilding's account.

A week later, a warship codenamed "Da Qin" was quietly approved.

　Monthly ticket reward, I hope everyone supports it

　　

　

(End of this chapter)